Thumb-rest.



W. MEREDITH.

THUMB REST.

APPLICATION FILED APH.25. 1911.

w r s m m f L. f I Z I 4. u d. N J m LU by the line 3 WYNN MEREDITH, OFSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO HOTPOINT ELECTRIC HEATINGCOMPANY, OF ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

THUMB-REST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1918.

Application filed April 25, 1917. Serial No. 164,548.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVrxN MEREDITH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of SanFrancisco and State of California, have inventeda new and usefulThumb-Rest, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to flat irons, and while primarily designed for useon electrically heated irons, it is nevertheless applicable to gasheated fiat irons, or indeed to irons which include no heating element.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved grip orhandle for such an iron. This I accomplish by pro viding a thumb rest soplaced that the thumb of the operator rests naturally thereon when thehandle is gripped. This allows the operator to use the thumb to helpwith which the iron is operated and to the, fact that the thumb restfixes the position ofthe hand and prevents it from sliding forward. andpartly to the specific construction shown which acts as a guard, as willhereinafter be explained.

Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flat iron equipped with myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the center of thehandle, showing themethod of supporting same.

Fig. 3 is a section on a plane represented 3 Fig. 2.

.Fig. 4 is a disassembled view of the various parts comprising theinvention.

In the drawing, an iron 11 has a handle bow 12 secured to the topthereof by means of screws 13. The iron 11 may be of the self-heatingtype utilizing gas or electricity as a heating agent, or it may be anyordinary type of flat iron which is heated by external means.

Secured in the bow 12 is a handle 11 which is formed of some insulatingmaterial, preferably wood. This handle is secured in place by means ofscrews 15 which pass through suitable holes in the bow 12 at either endthereof. A thumb rest 16 is provided at the forward end of the handle11, this thumb rest consisting of a metal member 17 to which aninsulating thumb button 18 is secured by any suitable means. The metalmember 17 is provided with a hole 19 and with a fiat portion 20 whichmay be designated as the guard, this fiat portion projecting down aconsiderable distance below the handle 14, as best shown in Fig. 2.

A square sh0ulder2l is provided, this shoulder contacting with the edgeof the bow 12 and preventing the button from swinging around the screw15 which passes through the hole 19. A fiber or other heat insulatingwasher 23, provided with a hole 24:, is placed between the bow 12 andthe thumb rest 18, as shown in Fig. 2, the parts being clamped togetheras shown. A recess 25 is preferably formed 'in the end of the woodenhandle 14 in which the parts are seated when the screw 15 is forced intoplace. The location'of the button 18 is such that the thumb of theoperator naturally rests thereon when the handle 14 is gripped, thisbutton serving to give a perfect control of the iron and make it mucheasier to propel. The guard 20 prevents the fingers from coming incontact with the handle bow 12, the washer 23 and the space between thebow 12 and the guard 20 serving to heat insulate the guard so that it isalways cold.

I claim as my invention i 1. In a flat iron; a body; a handle; a handlebow secured to said body and supporting one end of said handle; a thumbrest secured to said handle and forming a guard extending across theunder side of the handle to prevent the hand of the operator from comingin contact with said bow.

2. In a flat iron; a metal bow; a handle having a recess in one endthereof; a screw passing through said how into said handle; a metalmember having a hole through which said screw passes,'said metal memberfitting into said recess; and a thumb button forming a portion of saidunitary member.

3. In a fiat iron; a metal bow; a handle having a recess in one endthereof; a screw passing through said bow into said handle; a metalmember having a hole through which said screw passes, said metal memberfitting into said rec ss and projecting sufficiently below said handleto form a guard therefor; and a thumb button forming a portion of saidunitary member.

4. In a flat iron, a metal bow; a handle supported in said bow; and athumb button located to one side and below the horizontal plane of thehandle and so placed that the ball of the thumb of a hand which gripsthe handle rests naturally thereon in such a position as to assist inpropelling the iron forward.

5. A combination as in claim 4 in which the thumb button is formedindependently of the handle and rigidly secured thereto.

6. A combination as in claim 5 in which the thumb button is secured tothe handle by means of a metal member which extends under thehandle andforms a guard to protect the hand from the heated metal bow.

7. A combination as in claim 5 in which the surface of the thumb buttonis approximately in a plane passing through the axis ofthe handle.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Tulsa, Oklahoma,this 16 day of April, 1917.

WYNN MEREDITH.

